Traditional cable-based TV providers saw their share of the pay-TV market decline in 2012 as Internet-based TV services offered by companies like Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) grew more popular, according to a new report. Market research firm ABI Research says that as a whole, the global pay-TV industry generated $238 billion in revenue last year. That figure is up from $223 billion in 2011 and is expected to continue growing to $304 billion in 2018. Cable companies’ share of the market dropped to 47% in 2012 from 48.5% in 2011 however, as IPTV services saw their share grow to 11.5% in 2012, up from 10% in the prior year. ABI analyst Khin Sandi Lynn notes that Verizon was the top IPTV provider in 2012 in terms of revenue.

Cablevision launched a unique implementation of TV viewing with the company’s iPad app a few months back. In short, the iPad actually sits behind your home network, connects through your Optimum cable model directly to the company’s internal network, and essentially acts as a TV tuner. This delivers every channel you’re subscribed to that you can view on your TV, and now Optimum is bringing this capability to the iPhone and iPod touch. In addition to TV viewing, you’re also able to use the iPhone as a remote control giving customers even more flexibility and control over their shows. We’ve been playing with the app for a little while and it ‘s pretty solid — watching TV on the iPhone is crystal clear, and it’s sure better than digging for the remote control every few minutes. Optimum’s updated app is available for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad in the App Store. More →

According to new data from ABI Research, internet TV and and television services run by telecoms – such as Verizon or AT&T— are slowly eating away at cable TV’s market share. Cable TV subscriptions dropped from 72% in 2009 to 69% in 2010, and cable providers in North America and Western Europe saw the greatest subscriber losses. Despite the customer losses, the overall pay-TV market continues to grow — there were 11.3 million new pay-TV subscribers in Q1 2011, and that the total number of subscribers is expected to exceed 759 million by the end of this year. Cable TV is continuing to grow in Latin America, however, and penetration in Brazil is expected to reach 10% in 2011. “The emergency of digital TV in different pay-TV platforms begins to offer more choices to consumers,’ Khin Sandy Lynn, an ABI research analyst, said. “Digital terrestrial TV (DTT) channels and high definition (HDTV) channels are gaining popularity in pay-TV markets. ABI research expects that there will be more than 230 million high-definition TV subscriptions across different platforms at the end of 2011.” Hit the jump for the full release More →

Motorola on Wednesday announced that it has closed a deal to acquire Swedish IPTV software company Dreampark. The terms of the acquisition, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011, were not disclosed. Dreampark’s core software product is called Dreamgallery, a middleware solution that allows operators to provide services over television networks. Motorola will integrate Dreamgallery and other Dreampark solutions into its Motorola Medios software suite. “This transaction enables us to continue to enhance our Medios software portfolio and capitalize upon the convergence of wireless technology, media, mobile computing and the Internet,” said Motorola Mobility’s SVP and GM of Converged Experiences, John Burke, in a statement. “With the acquisition of Dreampark, Motorola Mobility will strengthen its ability to provide systems integrators, service providers, enterprises and content providers with innovative solutions for deploying converged media experiences. It’s great to have the Dreampark team on board.” Hit the break for the full press release. More →

Today, Panasonic announced that they will add Twitter to the list of built-in web entertainment technologies on their VIERA CAST enabled HDTVs and Blu-ray disc players. The company already offers Skype, Netflix, Pandora, Fox Sports, Amazon Video-On-Demand, YouTube, Picasa, Bloomberg, and weather services on VIERA televisions with the IPTV functionality built-in. Panasonic’s VP of corporate development had this to say:

Since we introduced Panasonic VIERA CAST IPTVs three years ago we have added more and more of the top entertainment and social networking sites in the world. The addition of Twitter to VIERA CASTfurther strengthens the interactive options Panasonic VIERA HDTV owners can now use to communicate with family and friends worldwide. Consumers with VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVS can now tweet on Twitter, video chat via Skype, share videos on YouTube and digital photos via Google Picasa right from the comfort of their living rooms.”

Maybe the future of HDTV isn’t in 3D and ridiculous refresh rates… maybe it’s applications? We’ve got the full press release for you after the break. Let us know if functionality like this is something that interests you, or if you think it is just something that will get in the way of your television-viewing enjoyment. More →

With our US-centric focus, we often forget that globally, WiMAX has over 500 network deployments in more than 145 countries. One of the current hotbeds for WiMAX deployment is the Asia-Pacific region which is expected to see explosive growth over the next two years. Capitalizing on this growth opportunity is InfoValue, a US-based IPTV company. InfoValue has announced the launch of its newest IPTV service, which promises to deliver high quality live TV and interactive video-on-demand over WiMAX networks in the burgeoning Asia-Pacific market. They claim the service can deliver a consistent, high-quality H.264 stream in moving vehicles, handling tower to tower handoffs with ease. Sweet! Now if they could just get Sprint to jump on board and bring real mobile TV to the US… Full press release after the break.